Missing Dimples
by FantasySci5
Summary: Kate muses on the effect Sawyer's absence on the island has on the different people.When he comes back,she finds out that he has moved on,and she feels jealous.Details on how the raft went wrong...SKATE! And Sana.Other pairings
1. Raft Went Wrong

_Missing Dimples_

Hello! I've just got into LOST, and now I am totally and helplessly obsessed with it, and a certain Southerner with the cutest dimples in the world. Anyway, I have only seen the 1st series, but I know basically what happened, so please forgive me if it is slightly different, although this is AU.

I have an idea for this story, but for it to work, it has to be AU, 'cause what happens with the raft is different. And, he is a bit nicer to the characters. I'm sorry, but I love Sawyer and Sayid friendship fics! Sawyer doesn't really show up until much later in the fic, though I mention him quite a lot. I usually don't like Jack, but he isn't put in a bad light in this or anything. If I didn't hate him so much for being Sawyer's arch nemesis rival, I might think he was an okay kind of guy! I really like this story, even though it is angsty and sad. It gives me chills, and a giddy laugh to think about it!

This will be a Skate (Sawyer and Kate) fic, though Kate will be jealous. It will seem Sana (Sawyer and Ana), but it will end up being Skate. There has to be some Jate (Kate and Jack), but it won't last. There is the slightest mention of ConMama (Sawyer and Claire), though if you blink, you may miss it.

SUMMARY: Kate muses on the effect Sawyer's absence on the island has on the different people. When he comes back, she finds out that he has moved on, and she feels jealous. Kate's POV, though in 3rd person. Details on how the raft went wrong...SKATE!

Disclaimer: I don't own LOST, 'cause if I did, I would do what pretty much every fan wants to do. Bring Ana back to life, and my personal pic, bring back Boone and tone down Sawyer being an ass. I don't know much about medical stuff, so if any of my info is wrong, please forgive me, and take it as creative license to add suspense to the story.

I hope you enjoy this, and what my twisted mind has to say about, "What if the raft...?"

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Kate sat on the beach, watching rays of golden sunlight filter across the calm blue waters as the sun sank down. The raft had left hours ago, but she couldn't help but watch their hope sail away. She hadn't made it to say goodbye to the survivors going on the raft, tell them good luck and all of that mush. From what she learned, most people hadn't really said goodbye, fearing they would jinx the trip, or never see the person again. And as much as the people denied it, they would miss each other if they ever got off the island. They would miss the petty fights, and even the comebacks Sawyer spit out.

Her mind wandered back to Sawyer, as she sat with her legs drawn up to her chest. For some reason, his absence made her feel cold inside. No one to lightly flirt with to take away the tension. Jack was busy helping calm everyone else down about the coming of The Others. They had gone to the ship to get dynamite, only to have it blow up the ship, nearly losing their lives in the process. People were starting to panic, having nowhere to go now that the Hatch idea was scratched. The survivors voted to go back to the beach, away from the trees and The Others' territory. So now, people were settling into their makeshift beds, trying to sleep, while most of them kept a wary watch on the jungle.

She started thinking about Sawyer's flirtatious behavior, how he always had a cute nickname for her at the ready. How if she flirted back, his smile would deepen, his dimples standing out on his gruff face.

Along the shore line, Aaron's cries pierced the otherwise quiet evening. Glancing over, Kate saw Claire hopelessly holding her baby, trying everything in her power to shut him up. Even from the distance, Kate could tell Claire was crying from exhaustion and frustration. The cloud of black smoke from deep in the jungle only made Claire look out to the ocean, wishing for the voice of the only person to calm the baby. The southern drawl that women cooed over, and the only person who could make the baby stop crying, even laugh and fall asleep. Even when he was the only one on the island who insulted him. He had been willing, though, to read to the baby. After the first time Charlie had made him read, whenever Claire had problems with the baby, Sawyer would come over to help, or Claire would seek him out herself, with the ever-present Charlie in tow.

Kate could tell she wasn't the only one missing Sawyer. Sayid had been unusually quiet, even for him, probably because his sparring partner had sailed away. Jack and Locke didn't seem fazed, although you could never tell with those enigmas. Many of the people here were enigmas in their own way. Sawyer had abandoned them at the same time rescuing them. Ironic twist, of a man that had only cared for himself most of his life. But the people here had started seeing past his act, into the 'real Sawyer', or whatever his name really was. They couldn't think why Sawyer wanted to be hated and hurt, and only Kate had the slightest clue as to why, even though she was hazy with the facts. They started seeing he did care. The talks he had with Claire, or the casual walks with Sayid. Sure, he would insult them at times, but it always seemed to be light and teasing, instead of trying to be mean. Kate couldn't think how Sawyer could go from hating the man who had tortured him, to talking and walking with him on the beach. People started seeing he did care, and maybe he didn't go on the raft for only selfish reasons.

The baby finally stopped crying, and Kate started to drift asleep with the comforting knowledge that Sayid, Jack, Locke, Hurley, and even if less comforting, Charlie were keeping watch. Her eyelids drooped, when she heard a far away explosion. Her eyes snapped open, scanning the ocean that she thought it had come from. On the horizon, a blaze of red and yellow fire tickled the night sky. She cocked her head to her side, her mind racing. What was that? Had that been the raft? She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong. She glanced over her shoulder, but the patrols and sleeping people had not seen or heard it. A cool wind suddenly picked up from out of the woods, and she heard the infamous whispers Sayid had said he had heard. It seemed like many people were whispering at once, but one clear voice echoed over the rest. '_We have taken him. The baby boy was not what we seek...'_

Her head snapped around, but no one had seemed to hear that. She turned back to the water, but the fire on the horizon wasn't there anymore, leaving her feeling as if she was hallucinating. Either that or she was dreaming.

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Kate's knees were banged with something hard, as she was jolted awake. She had rolled over to sleep on her side sometime in the night, her arms still grasping her knees. She woke up, fully alert, and took in the sight.

The air smelt of burnt wood, though the trees were not on fire, and no fires were made. At the shoreline of the beach, there was wooden debris everywhere. Bits and pieces were floating in with the tide, a large piece laying on her long, slender legs. In the corner of her eye, she saw other survivors getting up and looking at the mess. Her heart did a back flip as she saw a long pole, that could not be mistaken for anything but the 'mast' thingy from the raft. She heard everyone whispering, wondering what happened.

There was no sign of the people who had set sail on it, and she had a gut feeling that yesterday's late night 'vision' was real, and not a dream. People didn't know what to do or think, not even Jack. None of The Others had come in the night yesterday, and Aaron was fine and sleeping. They went about their daily lives on the island, always watching the ocean out of the corners' of their eyes. They didn't stray too far from the beach, though no one knew why. Maybe there was hope that this was all a big mistake, and this just happened to be unrelated junk floating by. Those hopes were dashed when the bottle of messages washed up on shore. The cork was loosened, and the salt water had seeped in, ruining the writing. No one could deny it wasn't from the raft.

Nothing else happened that day, although a creature not even Locke could name, was trying to dig up Boone's grave. She decided to sleep on the edge of the tree line, where she could keep an eye on the waves and the survivors, and also on the calm forest of trees that held dark secrets no one knew. Kate had a strong feeling of foreboding.

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I am very interested in all of the ships Sawyer can be in. At first, I was a deep Skater fan. But I hated how she always was in-between him and Jack, and it drove me crazy. So one day, I said screw this, he deserves better. Then, I found fans of ConMama. I thought it was cute, how the wallet scene in the 1st series, how he sort of stuttered and stuff. And how his voice is what the baby responds to. Then, I heard about Sana. Sawyer and Ana, and their 'relationship', of pain/pleasure captured my imagination. Sawyer thinks he deserves it for what he did, and Ana gives it to him. He seems to work his way through the ladies. Anyway, I have a story in my mind of Skate, and another one with ConMama. And I'm in the mood right now for Sana, so here it is.

I hope you like it so far! I know, sort of, where I'm going with this story, because it was going to be a one-shot, but it became way too long.

FantasySci5-She holds her breath hoping you like it...


	2. Jin and Sun

_Missing Dimples-Part 2_

Hey. I hope you guys like this. I promise, Sawyer WILL be in this, just not in awhile. I know it's different than the show, but this is 'What if...' fics, and I had this idea and ran with it. Please review...but I know my characters are sort of out of character. I tried to keep them in character, even though they are friends with Sawyer.

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Kate slowly woke up with a voice screaming in her head, her whole body aching in protest. The sun was just coming up, and she idly wondered what had woken her up. Then, a shriek echoed down the beach, waking everyone else up. Looking over, she saw Sun running down to the waves, crying hysterically. Kate was disoriented, not sure what was going on. Then her sharp green eyes took in the morning.

Everything was normal except the water. The usually crystal blue water was tinged with red, soaking the shoreline, and the surrounding shallow water. Her stomach fell, as she quickly got to her feet and made her way to Sun, fearing the worst. Many curiously followed, keeping some distance between the sobbing Korean woman and a red figure in her arms. Wait...figure!

She started to run, as did Sayid and Jack from behind her. They got there, watching as Sun rocked Jin's unconscious and bloodied body back and forth, whispering something in Korean, and saying "I'm sorry" in English. Jack pried him out of her grasp, as Sayid held Sun, who was still muttering incoherently. Kate scanned the ocean for any other bodies, but none appeared. She bit her lip, wondering about Michael and Walt...and especially Sawyer. She turned her head back to Jack, who was checking Jin. Sun had stopped crying, just staring ahead without blinking.

Jack nodded, standing up, and wiping blood off his hands and onto his pants. He nodded at Sayid, who carefully picked Jin's body up, and started carrying him to shore. The people there were scurrying around, finding towels, water, and a place to put him down. Jack knelt beside Sun, who still stared out at nothing, not acknowledging his presence. "Sun?" she heard Jack ask, but the other woman didn't move, or even look in his direction. Kate walked up to him, putting her hand on Sun's silky black hair, trying to sooth her and herself. "Is she in shock?" Jack shrugged, half nodding, and said, "Kind of." Kate tilted her head to one side, surprised by his answer, that seemed so vague.

"Is Jin going to be alright!" she asked, trying to keep the fear and panic from her voice. Jack nodded, grabbing Sun by her armpits and heaving her up. "He'll be fine. He has a nasty wound on his leg, looks like from scrapping up on something hard. It's not bad, and should heal soon. He banged his head, which is what is making all of the blood. It's not as bad as it looks." He lightly led Sun out of the water, who followed him wordlessly.

As Jin rested and Sun sat at his side and stared out into space or a memory, the camp went back to strained life. Every few seconds, someone would look out into the water, hoping to see another body float in, at the same time not wanting more hurt and pain. It was like yesterday, although much more urgent. It seemed like people were just trying to busy themselves to take their mind off of the raft, and the still missing people from it.

That night, hardly anyone got any sleep, especially Jack and Sun, who stayed by Jin's side all night long.

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Kate woke up, scanning the horizon and water. No blood red stained waves, no burning wood air. Everything seemed normal as it could get on the island. She picked herself up, and went to go talk to Sayid, who was keeping watch nearby.

"Did I miss anything!" she asked, watching as people slept.

Sayid shook his head, looking up at her with sad eyes. "Nothing since yesterday. It was a quiet night. The only thing is that Jin should be waking up today." Kate nodded her thanks, and made her way to where Jack was keeping his 'ward' on the beach, in the safety of the trees nearby.

Sun was clutching Jin's hand tightly, as if she let go, he would disappear again. Jack looked up, bags under his eyes, and gave her a tiny, worn out smile. "Hey," she said, plopping down next to him.

"Hey."

Kate looked over at Sun, then said under her breath to Jack, "Has she said anything?". Jack shook his head, looking down. She could tell his need to fix was in over-drive. Just one of the differences between Jack and Sawyer. While Jack would try to help everyone, Sawyer would let things play out. That got her to thinking about Sawyer again, which she was doing a lot these days. How he was a gruff outlaw on the outside to everyone else, but if you go underneath all of the mask, you could see someone who wanted to protect you. Jack, it seemed, was the same on the inside as out. No surprise, no shock, no game to find out what's inside. The fun of 'knowing him' didn't hold the same sway as it did with Sawyer.

She opened her mouth, not really sure what she was going to say, when Jin let out a groan. In a flash, Sun was talking to him in her native language, while Jack was checking his pulse. Jin's eyes opened slowly, taking in his surroundings. Before he knew where he was, he yelped out. "Sawyer!" Jack locked eyes with Kate, as Sun tried to calm down the Korean who was trying desperately to get up. "Michael!"

Sun was telling him something, probably that Sawyer and Michael weren't here, but Jin kept shaking his eyes, and looking around wildly. After a few minutes of Sun soothing him, he finally calmed down enough to lay back down.

"How do you feel?" Jack asked, nodding at Sun to translate. Jin shrugged it off, practically whispering to Sun. "What's he saying?" Jack asked, trying to keep his doctor patience, but lacking at his bedside manner, as Sawyer had once put it. Kate cracked a smile at the thought of the time when Sawyer had been knocked down by a wave, and it was surprisingly Sayid who had saved him from drowning. Jack had been lecturing him about swimming in the strong current, when Sawyer snapped, and said, "I ain't your kid, Jack-o-lantern! I'm fine, and if you think a little push and some water has been the worst I've gone through, you're sadly mistaken."

Sun turned her large, puppy dog black eyes onto Jack, explaining what Jin was saying. "He says that a boat was coming towards the raft, so they fired the flare. When the boat came, the hillbilly people on it demanded that they give over Walt. The guys refused, so some of the hillbillies came on board the raft. Two were holding back Michael, while two were headed towards Walt. Sawyer tried to protect him, but one of Them pulled out a gun, and shot him in the upper arm. He fell into the water, so Jin dived in after him."

Kate felt her heart race quicken as Jin kept thrashing around on the bed, still trying to tell Sun. "He says that things are harder to remember after that. He heard Walt screaming for Michael, but he couldn't find Sawyer or Michael. The boat went back in the direction of the island, with Walt among them. Then, something heavy from the raft fell on him, and he blacked out."

Jack nodded, looking so serious and grave, as Jin tugged on Sun, trying to warn her of something.

"He says he has a feeling that they were The Others. The boat could only come from somewhere very close, like the island. We all thought that the whispers were talking about taking the baby boy, but he thinks they were talking about Walt."

Jin whispered something to Sun, which she lovingly said back, before he fell back on the rock-bed, worn out from telling his story. He slipped back into sleep, with Sun still by his side.

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The next day, every one of the castaways watched the water, waiting for other bodies to wash up. Part of them wanted it, so they could know what happened to the person. But a part of them did not want to know that all hope was gone for them, if they washed up dead. The eyes constantly scanned the horizon, but only the sea water answered back to their silent pleas. Kate watched as the bottle full of the messages the survivors had put on the raft, floated back. That was the only thing.

Days went by, with people still looking at the ocean. Still, there was nothing. No small boy, no black father, no southern hunk with dimples. Slowly, some of the survivors stopped watching, and went back to watching the trees, or conversing among themselves. Jack was one of the first to give up hoping and watching. He went back to being the hero leader, healing people temporarily. Locke followed, thinking their disappearance was a sign from the island. A sign to go back to looking for a way into the Hatch, and hunting those 'disappearing' boars. Then it was Charlie, who hadn't really cared or gotten close to any of the missing castaways.

Kate could tell who really cared about the people still out there. Shannon and Vincent watched for Walt, while Sayid watched for his new-found friend, Sawyer. Claire and Aaron sat on the beach, waiting for him to come back and soothe them both. Once Jin was well enough to even sit up, he and Sun would sit on the beach, just like the others who hoped it wasn't the end for the three.

One day, Kate overheard Jin telling Sun something. It wouldn't have caught her attention, except for the anguished look on Jin's face, and the sympathetic gaze from Sun. They conversed in Korean a few more minutes, until Jin shrugged and got up.

Kate wasn't sure what to do, so she just stood there, patting her hair. Sun looked up at her with those eyes that held burdens, like most of the people here did. Everyone had a sad story to tell of their pasts, although most people didn't want to tell. And everyone had to face their fears on this island, at one time or another. Sun just couldn't put up an act of being fine. Her eyes showed the stress and worry of what had happened.

Kate sat down next to her, as they both watched Jin hobble over to where the water bottles were. "He feels guilty. He thinks he could have done something when he was there. He feels he abandoned them. Should have swam after the boat and Walt, or searched in the water more for Sawyer and Michael."

Kate's head looked up, as she let Sun's words filter through her head. "There was nothing more he could have done. He tried his best, and got hurt in the process. He couldn't have known, and it's too late now."

Sun nodded, "I know. He knows. Doesn't stop him from feeling guilty."

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Well, hope you liked the Jin/Sun factor. I love them two. Guess what! Next chapter...Sawyer comes! Yay! What we've all been waiting for! And I swear, Sawyer is going to come in the next chapter, and I'm going to give him a LONG scene with Kate, with lots of explaining.


	3. Jateness

_Missing Dimples-Part 3_

Okay, hope you guys like this. I know, it's pretty much like the show...but just let it flow. There's Jate in this chapter, though know that it pained me to right it. But Kate won't be happy! I don't dwell on it long, so don't worry! And I hope, beg, plead that Sawyer will turn up in this chapter. This story is about him after all! If I bring him in, will all of you guys review!

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A week slowly went by, day by day. More and more people stopped watching the waters, and went back to life. Even the hardcore watchers, such as Jin, Claire, and Kate, stopped constantly watching after a pep talk from Jack. They were trying to be optimistic. That the three had swam to a boat, and was in a hotel, helping get organized to go rescue the others. Depression of life hit hard, though, and the pessimistic people rubbed off on the hopeful.

Aaron stopped crying, stopped making any noises, and now no one could get him to say anything. His lips were zipped shut. Kate missed Sawyer more and more, missing even his sarcastic and rude comments. He seemed to enter her dreams, which would have been fine and even welcomed, but then they turned into nightmares. She dreamed of the raft, of fire and water, and him half-dead, floating away in the water. Now, she couldn't go to sleep without some kind of nightmare; either her past nightmares or the Sawyer-centric ones. One night, her dreams had mixed together, and it was Sawyer, not Tom, who she had inadvertently killed. The dream felt so real, that it had really happened in her past.

She was woke by Jack shaking her, whispering if she was alright. She had been yelping and thrashing around in her sleep, and crying, much to her embarrassment. She was hysterical, reaching for the ocean in her still half-asleep trance. Jack took her in his arms, trying to calm her down and comfort her, all the while trying to keep her quiet enough so as not to wake up anybody else. Always the hero, Jack was. She sobbed, still deep in her mind, and without realizing it, she was kissing Jack. She didn't register it until a few awkward seconds ticked by, then when she realized it was Jack, she jerked up and out of his reach, and ran into the jungle.

Her instinct came in, and a six sense to run washed over her. She couldn't be near, she could hardly figure out what had happened. She felt guilty. It wasn't that she was using him to find comfort, it was more than that. She felt like she was betraying Sawyer, even though there was nothing going on between them. But she had always felt the connection he claimed they had, and when he had weaseled a kiss out of her, she had meant a close-lipped peck, but it turned into something much deeper than that, including tongue. She could almost see his angry face if he found out about the kiss she had just had. But it wasn't his anger that made her feel guilty. It was the look of hurt betrayal she pictured on his face that made her instantly regret it.

She slowly made her way back to the beach, with the sun already coming up and lighting her path. People were up and about, making fires and fixing breakfast. As she walked past people, she heard whispers, her ears used to listening for trouble. It seemed that her little episode had woken up many of the survivors, and most of them had seen it. She silently groaned at the extra attention she was getting. They seemed to think a single kiss meant there was something between her and Jack now. She wasn't ready to face Jack quite yet, so she plopped down into the sand, and watched the waves crash in as she lost herself in deep thought.

She was sure that Jack was happy about the situation, because he didn't need to compete for her with Sawyer anymore. She was positive that he was confused and hurt about her running away from the kiss, but she didn't have the answers yet. For some reason, ever since she had landed on the island, she had made herself feel drawn to Jack. He reminded her so much of Tom, the good doctor who wanted to fix everything. She thought that maybe if she got his love and understanding, and she loved him back, that he could redeem her of her past crimes. She tried to feel something for him, the hero, but she felt herself grow more attached to the villain. The guy everybody hated, and the guy who wanted everyone to hate him. It was almost like a fairy tale, where she was the princess that needed saving, and Jack was the prince that could. But her story was different. It was the guy who didn't care if she was stuck up in a tower, that she fell for.

For some reason, she saw Jack vulnerable, and his status of hero and someone to be worshipped in her mind fell. It was like he didn't see her bad side, just pushed it away, expecting her to be perfect and better. Not understanding. Not like someone she knew. The thought made her cringe, but she tried not to think about the outlaw that had made it under her skin. She had seen a side of him that he tried to keep hidden, and she had saw that he felt he deserved the pain that the others gave him. He understood her, and didn't try to change her. Its not like she could take back her choice now. It wasn't like Sawyer was coming back.

Kate was ripped from her depressing thoughts as the bushes by the jungle rustled. All of the survivors got up, and backed up to the water, holding their breaths at the unknown threat. The leaves parted, and a small group of people stepped out. A large black man stood at the side of the line of people, with a small skinny white girl by his side. There was a chubby white guy on the other side, but Kate's attention was drawn to the middle of the line of strangers. Michael was on one side, and a Latino woman with dark black hair up in a ponytail was on his other side. And in the middle of them, was Sawyer.

The two were holding him up, much the same way as Jack and Sayid had done when they had knocked him out to tie him up to be tortured when they thought he had Shannon's inhalers. His feet were slightly dragging on the ground, his head was hanging low, making his blonde hair cover his face. He looked like he was barely conscious, and the girl and Michael were holding up all of his weight. His dark blue shirt was open, and blood was pouring out of his left shoulder.

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Wow, sorry to leave you like that, but at least I brought him in this chapter! I'll get right to work on the next one! I don't have any more time to write anymore, unless you want me to wait to post this till Monday. So...I hope you liked it. I hated the Jateness...so I'm sorry, but I had to for the story. But this WILL be Sana, so no worries! If this story seems rushed, I'm really sorry. This was just going to be a passing one shot, that didn't dwell on details, but then my imagination ran off with my fingers.

I just have to thank my reviewers personally. And pimp my other stories merciless.

sassafras224, thanks so much for reviewing! You made me blush. It is a feeling of its own when someone tells you-you are a good writer. Anyway...I love skate, too. This story will be Sana, I'm afraid. I LOVE Sawyer, and I don't mind him with hardly anyone. If you want a skate story of mine, check out 'Monster', which will be skate, though it's a bit slow right now. I'm also working on at least 2 skater song fics, that I really hope you check out once I get them up! Thank you so much for reviewing!

shirik, you read my mind, you know that? I loved the Jin/Sun moments as I was writing them, because I love those two, too. I will have a hurt Sawyer, and Ana will help heal him, and Kate is going to be SO jealous! I love angst and jealousy, let me tell you! Anyway...I still love skate, and the show makes me angry when I see Kate flirting with Jack. Don't get me started on how much I hate Jate. Sorry. It just makes me so mad that she is playing them both along. It's like 'choose already!'. I just don't want Sawyer getting too hurt. Thanks for reviewing!

Angie, I'm glad I'm not the only one out there who wants some Sawyer and Sayid friendship fan fics! I will explore it a bit in this, though there will be a lot more Sawyer and Michael friendship in this story. It's hard to do anything with Kate being my main character. I'll do it somehow, though, if it is only having Michael tell Kate about his friendship with Sawyer. But, just for you, I'll squeeze in even more Sayid and Sawyer friendship! I am writing a story with Sawyer and Sayid as the main characters, called 'Understanding'. It will be a song-fic, but it won't be that bad, I promise. For some reason, people don't like song fics. It's gonna be Shayid and Sana, and the two guys will help each other through once the girls have died. You should check it out once I've finished it! Thanks again for reviewing!

Oh, I just saw for the first time, 'What Kate Did'. I was looking forward to that episode, because basically Sawyer is reunited with everyone else, even though it really is only Kate, Jack, and Sun. I'm also looking forward to 'The Longest Con', but I'm scared, because I hear he makes himself most hated again, and I hate that. Anyway, I was so blown away by the 'head hug' as she was trying to give him his pills in the earlier episode, 'Collision'. Then, at the beginning of this episode (they played those two back to back) Jack complimented Sawyer for getting the bullet out. Wow, a compliment from Jack to Sawyer must have been rare. Then, to top it off and make it even better, Sawyer said he loved Kate! I was screaming and jumping up and down! (I know this is a Sana fic...but I'm also a skater). I was blushing and smiling. But then, when he is lying, pretty near his death bed, Kate goes out, gets comforted by Jack, then they share a kiss! A kiss! I could barely watch. All I know is that is was longer than their kiss in 'Confidence Man', but I bet there was no tongue in this one, or at least I hope. I was burning in jealousy for Sawyer. I love him, and can't stand to see him hurt, and I know if he ever heard about it (I don't know...does he!) he would be hurt. I was outraged, and angry at both of them. I felt a little better when Kate came back to talk to 'Wayne', and she said 'Every time I feel something for Sawyer', which makes it sound like she likes him, or something more, and the feeling has come back more than once (Hence the word-Every time). And I cracked up when Sawyer figured out he was on a bunk bed. Just the sound in his voice, like disbelief, just made me laugh out loud! And he seemed so not like his usual Sawyer-self when he asked if they were saved. 'Aw...!' Then, when she helped him outside, told him he needed a haircut. I was just 'aw!', and his face with the horse was priceless. So I felt all warm inside, but every time I thought about those cute scenes, it would always shrivel up because I would think of that Jate kiss. My only condolence is that she ran away afterwards, and didn't speak to Jack, but hung out with Sawyer and they 'flirted' like they usually do. So...there are my thoughts! Thank you for listening (reading)...if you're still there. And if you are a Jack fan, or a Jater, I'm sorry. I don't like Jack, and I'm pretty angry at Kate at the moment!

P.S. Oh, and for the people who loved my Jin/Sun moments, I LOVED the scene where those two were reunited in 'Collisions'! I was jumping up and down and smiling for them. And I wasn't even offended (like I would have been any other time) when Sun asked Kate to watch Sawyer. Because I knew she probably wanted to spend some time with Jin. I bet even Sawyer would have understood.

Sorry for my after-notes being so long, and the chapter being so...not. I wanted it to end like that. I'm really excited, 'cause I got a lot planned after this. It only took me so long because this chapter was keeping me tied up. There will be lots of Sana fluff, and a lot of Kate being jealous! Oh, and there is going to be a rather long detailed flashback to the raft-and after, because Michael is telling Kate some of it, and I couldn't help it. My imagination ran away with me. And instead of making another whole fan fiction, I decided to add it here. Think of this fic of more a Sawyer fic, than a...whatever this is. Don't worry...plenty of Sana. It's just hard when my fic is focusing on what Kate is thinking. I may have to change focus, but I don't think I'll have to. Please keep with this! Oooh...can't wait!


	4. He Wants to See

_Missing Dimples-Part 4_

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews, I really do appreciate every single one of them. Two major things before we start:

1st of all, I HAD to put that Jate part in, even though it physically (and emotionally) hurt. I wanted Kate to actually 'choose' for herself, and regret it. I also wanted Sawyer's jealous fears about Jack to be justified. It felt off if he gave up everything about Kate without reason. Anyway, I felt so disgusted with myself about the Jate (Can you tell I don't like Jack!...) that I went into a self-depression, so that's what's been keeping me from writing. I just can't believe I wrote Jate...shakes head. Well, maybe I can redeem my skateness.

2nd of all (and most important), a lot of my reviewers wished that this story was skate. I am, at heart, a skater first and foremost. So, this story will end up being Skate. But, since Kate was chasing after Jack and making Sawyer jealous, I'm going to still make Kate jealous. So, there will be some Sana in the middle, but I'm promising it will be Skate in the end. I'm sorry if you wanted Sana, but judging by my reviews, people want Skate. If you do want to see some Sana, please check out my upcoming song fic stories, which will definitely be Sana. But please keep reading this, because there will be some Sana and a jealous Kate. I hope that will make everyone happy, including me.

Sorry this is so late, and this chapter is so short. But, hopefully, I have fallen back into my strut, and the next chapter will be up quickly. Yeah, right!

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Time slowed down to a screeching stop for Kate. Her whole world revolved around the blonde at the moment, and she had to remember to breathe. She closed her eyes, hoping it was a dream, and slowly opened them. Time sped up again, and before she knew it, Jack was directing Michael and the woman to the makeshift medical tent.

She jogged to catch up with them, and got there just as they laid Sawyer down on his own plane seat. Jack ushered everyone out, only turning around long enough to say to the woman, "Good to see you're okay, Ana."

Kate looked at Jack confusedly, but he avoided her gaze, and went back into the tent. The girl, Ana, stuffed her hands in the pockets of her blue jeans, then started walking off down the beach. Once she was far enough away from the other survivors and the med-tent, she sat down in the sand and watched the waves. Michael brushed past Kate, and took a seat right by the tent. Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Ana slyly look over at the tent in worry; worry for Sawyer.

Vincent bounded up to Michael barking, happy to see one of his masters back. The dog must have sensed he was back, and came to give him comfort. Michael absentmindedly started to pet him, staring out at the ocean.

"Hi Michael. Good to see you back!" Kate said, smiling lightly as she sat across from him. He looked at her with a small smile, but his eyes betrayed his sad thoughts.

"I'm sorry about Walt." She said, looking down at her hands. Michael nodded, his eyes locked onto the waves. She glanced something else in his eyes that she had seen many times in her own eyes; the need to run. He had the wild look that said he wanted to run, maybe not physically, but he wanted to avoid what his mind wanted to think about. It was a desperate need to change the subject, hoping your mind would follow, like how she didn't want to think about how bad Sawyer was wounded. So, it wasn't that big of a surprise when Michael started to talk out loud about something randomly different.

"It's weird."

"What's weird?" Kate asked, pulling her dark hair out of her ponytail and letting it cascade down her shoulders.

"On the other side of the island, you would not believe how those two acted around each other."

Kate cocked her head to one side quizzically, until Michael started to chuckle. "Sawyer and Ana. When the tail people found us three, they threw us in a pit. At the time, we thought they were the Others. They threw Ana in with us, and we honestly thought she was one of us. You know, on our side. She found out Sawyer had a gun, then she punched him to steal it. Later, when she let us out, she hit him again. I mean, I know Sawyer deserves a good smack every once and awhile, and he did deserve that second hit, but that first one came out of the blue. It's actually quite funny."

Michael started chuckling, then continued. "Those two just clash. Every single time they had a conversation, it would turn into a sparring argument. They would go back and forth, and the malice toward each other would just pour on. Then, one day, the hatred just disappeared. They'd still make fun of each other, but they'd be smiling. It was like they enjoyed it, or they were flirting or something."

Kate's smile flickered, and for the first time, she felt protective of Sawyer. She was the only one he flirted with, and she felt jealousy burn in her stomach. Michael was still lost in thought, speaking quietly like he was talking to himself.

"She stepped down hard on his shoulder when he wouldn't drop that rock. I guess that's why it got infected. The salt water should have cleaned it out..." Michael stopped, his brain going back to the incident on the ocean he was trying to forget.

They were both pulled from their thoughts as Vincent unexpectedly barked, and they looked up to see Jack walking out of the tent. Kate rushed to his side, as Ana made her way back towards them. Michael just looked up at Jack from where he was sitting.

"So, how is he?" Kate asked anxiously, peering past him to try and see into the shadowed tent.

Jack sighed, explaining, "He's not good. He keeps falling in and out of consciousness, but he should get better. He's asking to see you."

Kate started forward, but Jack stopped her with an outstretched arm. "No, not you. Ana." Kate's mouth flew open as Ana nodded, and stepped inside. Kate stood there on the sand, in complete shock. Why did Sawyer want to talk to Ana! Wasn't she supposed to be the first person he wanted to see? Didn't he miss his Freckles? The crashing waves pounded in her ears, as she stood still with so many questions and no answers. She stared wistfully into the tent, longing to be reunited with her lost Dimples.

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Angie, I'm sorry, but 'Understanding' is giving me some trouble, but I will try to write it as soon as I can. I DID put up a Sawyer/Michael (and Jin) friendship story, called 'One-Sided Friendship', and I hope you'll check it out.

Shirik, I also hope you will check out 'One Sided Friendship', because it has some Jin! I also made this story Skate, and I am going to make Kate so jealous. I give you a wounded Sawyer! I think we think alike!

speckled girl, you got your wish, and due to your (and a few other peoples!) kind and persuasive review, I made this story Skate. Hope you like it!

Sassafras224, here's some more Skate, and there will be much more on the way! And thank you so much, it always makes me feel a whole lot more obligated to write more chapters when someone compliments me, especially saying I'm a good writer!

Oh, you want to know where I got the title of this fic? Well, every time Sawyer called Kate 'Freckles', I always wanted to answer back, and call him 'Dimples'. They ARE his trademark. So...I think you get the rest. Well...um, I'll go write some more. Don't want me to hurry too quickly, or this fic will be over before you know it:(


	5. Conversations

_Missing Dimples-Part 5_

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all of the positive reviews I got for this thing, either from or Lost-Forum. I appreciate every single review, and it gives me lots of incentive to hurry up and write the next chapter. Since this story is so popular, and I know from experience that if you leave it alone for too long, you'll lose all of your regular reviewers. So, to avoid history repeating itself, I'm going to try and keep up with putting new chapters up so I don't lose you guys. I don't think I can actually do a schedule, like wonderful Leah Kate, because I don't do well under time restrictions. But, I will try to work really hard on trudging through this while there are reviewers! I love you all, you know that, right?!

Oh, and I know y'all want Skate, but there are going to be lots of Sana bumps on the Skate road.

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This side of the beach was deserted in the late afternoon. Everyone was boarded up inside of their tents, trying to avoid the afternoon sun's heat. Jack had gone to check up on a crying Aaron, at the insistence of a nervously hovering Claire. Michael was walking half way down the beach, with Vincent bounding into the ocean, trying to show off his new tricks to one of his returned masters. Other than that, the beach looked deserted.

Only Kate stood there, biting her lip. She shifted onto her other foot, staring at the tarp that served as the door to the Med tent. Ana had just ducked into it, and every fiber in Kate's body urged her to sneak a peek inside. The need to run was overpowering, although this time it was the need to run to, instead of the need to run away.

She chewed on her fingernail, silently having a moral battle with herself. To eavesdrop, or not to eavesdrop...that was the question. The goodness in her that wanted to take over, the part that needed Jack to redeem her, said to walk away and mind her own business. The other part of her, the rebel that answered to no one, told her something important could be going on inside. She smiled faintly as her over-active mind linked her choice right now to the choice of picking one of the two guys.

When she was with Jack, it was always on the way to do something important for the camp. Even their inside jokes were made on the way to do something productive for the survivors, like getting water from the caves. It was always a chore that Jack had to do, and Kate happened to be along. It was also the need inside of herself to be redeemed for her past crimes. She thought that if someone saintly heroic like Jack could love her, then all her sins would be forgotten and forgiven. Butt it was the exact opposite, really. He wanted her to be better, and sometimes he just wanted to forget she wasn't perfect. And that drove her crazy.

With Sawyer, it was totally different. They would have inside jokes, too, but the jokes came out of times where they had nothing important or pressing to do. They went swimming in the middle of the day when they found their waterfall. And for those few preciously short minutes, Kate felt free. She didn't have to worry about responsibilities or dangers. She could forget about where she was and who she was, and she could have fun. And seeing Sawyer without a shirt was a bonus. And they could go hunting for a boar in the middle of the day and into the next day, without thinking about getting back to camp or if the other survivors were okay. They could sit at a fire and drink and play a game. Even when Sawyer found out she had killed a man, she expected the response. The disgust, the disappointment, the confusion, the pity, the emotions that she hated seeing on peoples' faces. But he hadn't looked down on her. He had understood, and not blamed her or condemned her. He had taken her like she was, and hadn't tried to change her into something she was not.

Kate snapped out of her trance as she heard someone laugh. She looked longingly at the tent, as the wind picked up around her, and flapped the tarp up slightly. Like a little secret opening that nature was giving her. Tired of not making decisions, she made her choice, and ducked into the tent.

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Kate stuck to the shadows of the fairly large tent as soon as she entered, and was glad that neither occupant noticed her. She scooted over, so she was right next to the door in case she had to make a quick get-away.

Ana was standing by the airplane seat that Sawyer was propped up on. Her arms were crossed, and her chocolate brown hair was down over her shoulders. She had a small smile on her face as Sawyer stirred from his sleep. A moment later, his eyes blinked open. He looked confused for a second, until his eyes landed on Ana.

"Well hey there, Chica." He drawled, sitting up a bit more in his chair. He had that dimpled smile on, which added the perfect flirting effect.

"Hey yourself. Jack said you asked to see me, but when I came in here, you had passed out again."

Sawyer chuckled, looking up at Ana at a crooked angle. "You know, it takes a lot of energy to be this good looking and charming."

Ana smiled, then crouched down in front of him so they were at eye level. "How do you have any energy left at all?!" Ana asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes good naturedly.

"Hey, I wouldn't be laying here hurt if SOMEONE hadn't stepped on my wounded shoulder and infected it with dirt!" He answered back, glaring at her.

"I wouldn't had to have made a point if someone would have kept their mouth shut and dropped the rock."

"I wouldn't have picked up the rock for a weapon of revenge if someone hadn't thrown me in a pit!"

They broke off their war-stares at the same time, smiling at each other good naturedly. Kate almost gagged. She had always seen Sawyer flirt with other girls on the island, but he had never been serious like he was with Kate. And now she had to stand there and listen to this.

"You gonna apologize?" Sawyer asked out of the blue.

"What?!"

"You heard me!" Sawyer answered, crossing his arms mockingly.

"You wish, Cowboy." Ana stood back up. "So, is this why you wanted to talk to me? Blame me for you getting shot and an apology?"

"I dunno. What else you got?" His eyebrow went up suggestively, as Ana scoffed.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. Or maybe a rain check?" Ana chuckled, then shaking her head.

Sawyer sighed, turning serious. "When I asked for you, I didn't even know we were back on the beach. I thought we were still in the jungle, and I wanted a break, O Capitaine."

An awkward silence descended upon them, and even Kate felt uncomfortable. "So..." Sawyer started up a conversation. "How is everybody?"

"Okay, I guess. Hell, I dunno anybody."

Sawyer looked up suddenly, something unreadable in his eyes. "Is Kate okay?"

Ana gave him a weird and irritated look. "Yeah, I saw her outside the tent. She looked all worried and stuff." Sawyer tried to hide a smirk quickly, but Ana saw.

"What, she your girlfriend?" Sawyer smiled, a far-away look in his eyes. He didn't answer.

Ana shifted, then glanced at the door, dangerously close to Kate. Kate scooted further into the shadows. "Well, I better go check on the rest of my people. See ya around, Tex."

Sawyer smiled deeper. "I'll make sure of it, Rambina."

Kate quietly disappeared out of the tent, seconds before Ana did.

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Kate hid behind a nearby tree as Ana left, although she told herself she wasn't hiding. She was comparing the bark of the trees near the beach to the ones deep in the jungle. Yeah, that's what she's doing.

Once Ana disappeared from her eye sight, Kate made her way to the tent again. As she entered, she stopped short, crossing her arms with an amused smile on her freckled face.

Sawyer seemed strong enough to be up and about, and he was currently cleaning up his old, abandoned tent. He was sorting his beloved books into piles, while humming to himself. At first, Kate couldn't tell what he was humming, but as he broke into the chorus, she could tell it was a country song she had never heard before.

"Guess who's the new talk of the town? The new SOB? The one everybody loves cuttin' down. Man, it's a sight to see. They all smile right to his face, and hide their jealousy. Me, I'm just working hard to get to that place, where everybody hates me! The one everybody loves to hate. It just comes naturally. Wanna be where everybody hates me!"

He shifted his head to flip some of his hair out of his eyes, when he saw Kate out of the corner of his eye. He stopped embarrassedly, giving her a small, innocent smile. Kate looked at him right there, seeing a small, sweet innocent boy coming out of the shell, and realized she loved him.

"Man, that's your theme song!" Kate joked, trying to break the awkward silence surrounding them like a fog. Something passed in front of his eyes, and the harsh glare of Sawyer returned.

"What do you want, Kate?"

Kate opened her mouth to reply, when the gravity of what he had said hit her. She may have been reading too much into things today, but she couldn't get past this symbol. No 'freckles'. No cute nickname that was meant as a distancing tool, but became a term of endearment. All Kate could see of this was a signal that Sawyer was moving on. That he had gotten over her, and he was moving on with his crush. And that crushed Kate.

"You're back. I wanted to make sure you were okay." Kate replied in a hushed voice, her mouth running on auto-pilot. Her mind was still processing the fact that Sawyer had called her by her real name.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easy, did ya?!" Sawyer joked, sitting back down. The joking, flirting atmosphere was back between them, but Kate was beyond reason.

"Hey, Earth to Freckles. Polar Bear got your tongue? I wouldn't mind having that job..." Sawyer winked, waving his hand in front of Kate's unfocused eyes. Kate snapped back to reality, trying to process the contradiction. Maybe she was reading too much into this.

"So, what's new?"

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I hope you like the length. I had a good place to stop it in the middle, but I kept going so you guys would love me. I don't personally like the end of this chapter, but don't worry-this is not the last chapter! I hope you liked it, and you didn't mind be babbling on about the whole Kate/Sawyer/Jack triangle. I had a new thought when I was watching some more episodes (about Jate being productive and Skate being fun), and I just had to put that in. Hope you don't mind me diving deep into the symbols!

Oh, I used some lyrics from Tim McGraw's song, "Everybody Hates Me". The chorus is totally Sawyer, but the rest of the song would have made no sense in a song fic. And even me, Song fic obsessed, couldn't make it into a song fic. So, I put it in this!

Oh, and when Sawyer asked for Ana through Jack, but he didn't know he was back on the beach. I just had in mind that he didn't recognize Jack, and he was just asking generally around him (like to Michael) for Ana to let them take a break.


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